The present invention relates generally to paperboard containers and pallets, and more particularly to an integrated paperboard container and pallet system having a collapsible walled section facilitating the shipping of the system when unassembled.
Heretofore, pallets used by the shipping industries for the storage or transportation of a variety of goods generally have been constructed out of a wood material. These wooden pallets, however, are known to have a definite usable life, and, thereafter, must be disposed of in an acceptable manner such as in a landfill or the like. Increasingly, the use of wooden pallets has become an environmental issue as the amount of usable landfill space continues to decline. The disposal problem is magnified when it is considered that large assembly plants, such as automobile plants and the like, generated literally thousands upon thousands of wooden pallets.
In anticipation of the passages of laws or regulations proscribing against the disposal of wooden pallets in landfills, the art has turned to pallets fabricated of paperboard materials such as corrugated cardboard and the like, which are generally considered to be more recyclable than wood. Paperboard pallets of such a type are described in Youell, Jr., et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,444, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. One such pallet utilizes runners which comprise a sheet of paperboard that has been folded into a rectangular form having top and bottom walls, a pair of sidewalls, and a central vertical wall interposed between the sidewalls. The top wall has cutout areas or openings, and the central wall has quarter-round cutouts located at the longitudinal ends of the top wall cutout areas. The top wall cutout areas are adapted to receive flaps formed as having central slots. The flaps are selected from: flaps formed or cut from the runner top wall; flaps formed or cut from an upper deck attached to the runner; or flaps cut from a rectangular insert which has a pair of end slotted flaps, which insert fits into the top wall cutout with the end slotted flaps folding downwardly into the quarter-round cutouts.
Another pallet described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,444 utilizes a runner comprising sheet of paperboard that has been folded into a rectangular form by one end being folded to form a first bottom wall, a first sidewall, a first top wall, and a second sidewall; and the other end being folded into an "S" configuration to form a central vertical wall, a partial second top wall which underlies the first top wall, and a partial second bottom wall which underlies the first bottom wall. The top wall has cutout areas or openings, and the central vertical wall has quarter-round cutouts located at the longitudinal ends of the top wall cutout areas. The top wall cutout areas adapted to receive flaps formed as having central slots. The flaps are selected from: flaps formed or cut from the runner top wall; flaps formed or cut from an upper deck attached to the runner; or flaps cut from a rectangular insert which has a pair of end slotted flaps which insert fits into the top wall cutout with the end slotted flaps folding downwardly into the quarter round cutouts.
Advantages of the pallets exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,444 include paperboard pallets which are inexpensive to produce, and yet which are completely recyclable. A further advantage is pallets having a capability for beating heavy loads which still possess lateral stability. Another advantage is a pallet and runner construction which is collapsible for efficient storage and shipment, but which may be assembled easily for use.
Paperboard runners and pallets such as those of the types described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,444 have become increasingly embraced by the shipping and manufacturing industries as offering acceptable substitutes for wooden pallets. Accordingly, there have been calls to extend the applications for such runners and pallets for the shipping of other types of products, such piece parts and the like, requiring the provision of a container. Particularly desired has been the replacement of the ubiquitous banded containers which heretofore could be considered an industry standard. Such containers, which may be constructed of paperboard or the like, generally involve a tubular wall section interposed between flanged top and bottom sections. Metal or plastic bands are strapped around the flanges to secure the assembly, and may be strapped around the wall section to increase the strength and rigidity thereof. Additional bands may be strapped crosswise around the top and bottom sections, and may be used to secure the container to a wooden pallet or the like. This banding constitutes a significant raw material expense in the production of the container, increases the labor costs associated with the assembly of the container, and may increase the expenses associated with the disposal of the containers as the bands generally are considered less recyclable than the paperboard portions of the container. Moreover, the necessity of having to use a separate pallet with the banded containers additionally increases both raw material and disposal costs.
In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that alternatives to the banded containers heretofore known in the art would be well-received by the shipping and manufacturing industries. A preferred alternative would incorporate the advantages of the paperboard pallets described hereinbefore in being inexpensive, recyclable, and easy to assembly, and desirably would be collapsible for efficient storage and shipment.